How to succeed in Morocco or Silicon Valley: Advice from Akram Benmbarek of Social IQ

Moroccan entrepreneur Akram Benmbarek spent most of his career
working working as an investment banker in Silicon Valley, focusing
on the tech sector.

In 2005, he co-founded TechWadi,
a Silicon-Valley based NGO designed to connect high-impact
entrepreneurs in the Arab world with mentors, capital, and
acceleration in the U.S. And in 2009, Benmbarek went on to found
Social
IQ, a platform that helps brands develop marketing campaigns by
leveraging influential social media users. (For more on Social IQ,
watch the interview our late contribtuor
Karim Jazouani).

Here, in an interview with Wamda's French Editor, Aline Mayard,
Benmbarek discusses how being an investor prepared him for being an
entrepreneur, what challenges he sees entrepreneurs facing at
TechWadi, and in Morocco more specifically, and how he thinks
entrepreneurs need to shift their mindsets in order to succeed.

"The biggest challenge is choosing what not to do," he admits.
And while several entrepreneurs in the Arab world arrive in the
U.S. with unrealistic expectations and aspirations, he says, they
still need to strive for perfection in order to achieve
excellence.

Using the spaghetti strategy- "you throw the spaghetti against
the wall, if it sticks, cool, if it falls, you let it go"- won't
work, he explains.

Watch the video above to also see his take on how Moroccan
entrepreneurs are caught between the French market and the Arab
market, and how they should proceed.

0:38: Do you think being an investor prepared you for being an
entrepreneur?
1:00: What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome?
1:43: Do you have any lessons from that experience?
2:15: Did you have any moments when you were afraid you would
fail?
2:42: What are the biggest issues you see entrepreneurs struggling
with at TechWadi?
3:58: Are there any issues specific to Morocco?
5:14: Do differences in culture between France and the Arab world
hold Moroccan entrepreneurs back?
5:51: How can Moroccan and Arab entrepreneurs overcome these
challenges?

Aline is startup storyteller and journalist. Previously she was Wamda's French editor and an entrepreneur, opening The Blue House residence for international startups in a Moroccan surf town. You can follow her on Twitter @YallahAline.